This parish is also called from its situation within the limits of what was once
the Forest of Galtres, Marton-in-the-Forest, and Marton-in-Galtres, and not
unfrequently Marton Lordship; but the latter is scarcely definite enough to
distinguish it from other Martons in the County. Some slight alteration was
made in the boundaries in 1887, and its area is now, according to the latest returns,
2,379½ acres; rateable value, £2,058; and population, 144.

This manor or lordship, soon after the Norman Conquest, formed part of the
possessions of the old Saxon family of Bulmer, the builders of Sheriff Hutton
Castle, and Brancepeth Castle, in the County of Durham. Bertram de Bulmer,
the last of the line, left an only daughter and heiress Emma, who married Geoffrey
Neville, and thus Sheriff Hutton. Brancepeth, Raskelfe, &c., came into the
possession of that family. The whole lordship is now the property of the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners, who hold it in trust for the Archbishop of York, who is lord of
the manor.

There is no village; the houses lie scattered, chiefly, on the east side of the
Foss. The land lies low, and was formerly a marsh, until drained and cultivated by
the monks, hence its name Marton, that is, the ton or enclosure in
the mere or marsh.

Bertram de Bulmer in the reign of Stephen, founded and endowed a priory
here for Augustinian Friars, or as the name was more generally abbreviated,
Austin Friars. It was at first established as a double house for monks and nuns,
but the latter were not long after removed to Molesby or Moxby, about two miles
distant. The priory stood on the right side of the road leading from Stillington
to Helmsley, but, except a farm house built out of the ruins and called Marton
Abbey, there is little left to mark the spot, though the site may be traced by the
inequalities of the ground, and also the moat by which it was surrounded.
Scarcely anything has been recorded of the history of this house, and of its priors
the names of 18 only are known. The last one was Thomas Godson, who, with
fifteen canons, surrendered the priory in 1536. Their gross annual income was
£183 2s. 4d., which, after certain payments, left a net sum of £151 5s. 4d. The
site was granted to the Archbishop of York in exchange for other lands.

The Church, dedicated, like the priory, to St. Mary, is an ancient edifice,
situated on an eminence nearly in the centre of the lordship. It begins to show
very perceptible signs of decay, but is likely to be restored shortly at the expense
of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The benefice is now united with the vicarage
of Farlington, the joint living being valued at £300 per annum. Patron, the
Archbishop of York; present vicar, the Rev. Frederick S. Newman, M.A.

Moxby or
Molesby is a hamlet consisting of three farms. A Nunnery was
founded here soon after the Conquest, but neither the founder nor the date are
known. Henry II. confirmed the "gift of Molesby to the nuns there serving
God"; as this was only the confirmation of a previous grant, it is probable that
the convent had been built in the previous reign. The King gave them 480 acres
of land in Huby, and the churches of Thormanby and Whenby. The nunnery
continued to flourish till the dissolution of lesser monasteries in the reign of Henry
VIII. when it was surrendered by Philippa Jenison, the last prioress, and nine
nuns who formed the community. Their yearly revenues were valued at £32 6s.
2d, The convent stood near Foss rivulet, on which the nuns had a mill, and
after the suppression it was converted into a family mansion, the last occupant of
which, according to the "Vallis Eboracensis," was Madame Prince. The house
was taken down many years ago, and a farm house erected on the site, called
Moxby Hall. Very few vestiges of the conventual buildings now remain, but the
moat may still be plainly seen. The farm is occupied by Mr. John Appleby, and
near, on the adjoining farm, is a small garden in which are two aged apple trees
that are said to have belonged to the nunnery.

About a mile distant is a well called St. John's Well after the tutelary saint
of the convent, which was formerly in repute as a medicinal spring, but is now
little frequented.

[Description(s) from Bulmer's
History and Directory of North Yorkshire (1890)]

Directories

Transcript of the entry for the Post Office, professions and trades in
Bulmer's Directory of 1890.

Scan, OCR and html by Colin Hinson. Checking and correction by Peter Nelson.